Sincerely, Red

Chapter Twenty Four

Lucas snatched his hand away and swore under his breath. Still, he didn't try to get up again or utter another word. He just sat, quietly seething, in his uncomfortable chair. Occasionally, his eyes would flicker up to the jurors, almost as though he was silently pleading with them.

He seemed to do that every day for the next four or so weeks, ever so casually letting a few tears slide down his face when Claire pinched him. I knew that it was more anger than pain that caused the tears. And I supposed, deep down, that he found it embarrassing to cry in front of complete strangers, which made him even angrier.

Of course, that anger came to a rest on the day of the verdict.

"I've never hated someone so much," I whispered to Claire, as she stroked my hair outside the court room. "You know, this trial has been really awful. Just knowing that he killed so many people and that Lucas won't even see Laney's body again-" I took a sharp breath. "I mean, Tim burnt her body even after he'd tortured her so much already. How can anybody be so awful and inhumane?"

She let a few tears slide down her face. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said quietly. "It's going to be over soon, I promise. And he won't be the only one that's punished. Doctor Barnes and everyone else involved in this entire thing, like that stupid solicitor that sorted out all the paperwork to the property will be punished too. Everyone's going to get what they deserve today."

I nodded and followed her inside, with her heels making their familiar sound. There were more people in the gallery than there usually were, though that didn't really surprise me. Everyone had been anticipating the verdict for over three days, since the case itself had closed then. It wasn't just the media, but old colleagues, Laney's school friends and just the general public that had turned up. Everything had become chaos and I wished - more than anything - that the jury would just come to a decision already.

Lucas was already sitting down with David when we got in and he looked more nervous than usual. I suppose it was because the joint funeral for his dad, his mum and his sister was taking place just the week after. It was meant to have taken place ages ago and it was true that both of his parents had been buried already, and that Laney hadn't had the chance to have been. It was more of a gathering for acknowledgment and final words than anything else. I was sure that it would have been postponed again but the verdict was taking forever to be delivered, and people were losing their patience in waiting.

I took a seat beside him and Claire took the one next to me. People stared and whispered, not stopping even when David glared right back. This was what it had been like for the past three days. People had been waiting with bated breath for the verdict, either focusing their attention on the jury's room or us. I was sure that they would've searched Tim for answers too, but he was being kept in a cell underneath the court room.

"This is moving too fast," Lucas whispered to me. "I mean, what if they deliver it today? How can we even go to the... gathering if it all happens right now, in this very moment?"

I stared back at him, unblinking. "It's not about us," I said quietly. "It's about Laney and your parents, and sometimes we have to forget what we want for the people we care about."